A bit like creative writing….I find that to taste & describe wine in all of its often magnificent complexity requires a certain amount of boldness, even of risk-taking, as well as use of jargon that risks ridicule. After all, no-one wants to appear pompous or up their own…..
Although there are certain criteria that an experienced taster looks for in any given wine – especially lack of defects such as excess sulphur or alcohol – tasting goes far above and beyond simply listing some flavours. Yes, it is useful to note that a certain wine has aromas of gooseberry and elderflower, or flavours of cassis and cinnamon, but real enjoyment of an excellent wine cannot be summed up in such a prosaic way.
TSWA’s first tasting session threw up a case in point – one particular wine really rose above the rest, and this was not because it had more fruit, or more acidity than the other wines – what it had was an inherent sense of class and international pedigree, with great complexity, and that elusive coupling of power and elegance that stems from vey old vines grown on a first-class terroir, and treated with respect by a knowledgeable and experienced winemaker.
You don’t need to be an experienced taster to detect this « wow factor » in a wine, it could just be a certain « je ne sais quoi » – but perhaps you do to be able to describe the wine meaningfully, and with reference to other greats of the wine world. Here’s hoping that our tasting notes get across the sense of wonder that we feel when coming across an exceptional wine……
Cheers !
Tim
